Greg Giersch, on August 1, 2022
If you’re in sales, you spend a lot of your time asking other people to buy what you sell. What about the last time you purchased something? Coffee on the way to work, an app on your phone, or maybe a new home appliance?
Why did you buy it now, instead of later? I find my tipping point is often based on my experience during the purchase process.
Deborah Fulghum, on July 27, 2022
As a sales manager, your time is valuable, and managing your sales team tops the list of priorities. How much time and with whom you spend your time is critical to achieving sales goals.
But where to start? Most of us spend time with those we think need the most attention, those not meeting goals. Our instincts are to “fix” people. But take a minute to consider if this is a good use of your time.
What if you spent time with your top performers instead? Focusing on people development is a key to employee engagement and retention, which leads to bottom-line growth.
The Center for Sales Strategy, on July 27, 2022
Before choosing which prospects to target, it’s best to generate a long list of leads so you can narrow down to the best leads. Using the categories you’ve identified as a good fit your business, decide which sources on this list are right for you to generate your own list of leads.
Matt Sunshine, on July 26, 2022
Every career has challenges, and that’s certainly true for sales professionals who often experience selling highs and lows.
Sales pros face numerous obstacles in their quest for success. They might have a difficult sales territory that requires lots of travel away from home. They might face a selling slump because of factors beyond their control such as an economic downturn or even a pandemic like COVID-19.
Sales managers can support their teams by motivating them to weather the rough times and inspiring them to keep growing in their careers and persevering even when their goals seem difficult–even impossible–to attain.
Here, we’ve created a resource to help managers motivate their sales professionals to keep striving and building their careers day after day.
Mindy Murphy, on July 25, 2022
Hiring and coaching salespeople would be a lot easier if people had their own manuals or care instructions that listed their top strengths and included advice for helping them reach their full potential.
Wouldn’t that help you select and retain more top performers?
Dani Buckley, on July 21, 2022
Inbound marketing is all about providing personalized, relevant content to your target audience.
Instead of pushing out interruptive messages that can easily be ignored, you should be providing educational and entertaining content that they are already searching for online. The power behind an effective inbound marketing program is that prospects and customers alike can opt to give you their contact information in exchange for the most premium content you provide.
Kelly George, on July 20, 2022
One of the most difficult things in leadership, and in life, is to recognize and admit when we have made mistakes or might have done things differently.
As we develop more skills in leadership, we begin to see mistakes as opportunities for growth, improvement, and innovation when we can look at them through a lens without judgment or blame.
Alina McComas, on July 19, 2022
You scheduled a meeting with a strong Target account. You're excited about the meeting as this has the potential to be a big prospect, but when you arrive, the first thing you hear is “You have 10 minutes. What are you pitching me today?”
If you're in sales, this is something you have likely heard before… and it's frustrating to hear. Basically, the decision maker is saying “I’m busy and I don’t believe you will benefit me or my business in any way. So, I will give you 10 minutes to pitch me whatever package or product it is you are pushing… so you will go away.”
Stephanie Stoll, on July 18, 2022
When it comes to sales, you might feel as if there are many factors that are outside of your control. To an extent this is true, but when it comes down to it – you actually wield more influence over the situation than you think.
Once you realize what you can control, and what you can influence, you will feel more confident approaching prospects and delivering solutions and recommendations to your clients.
Helping sellers improve sales performance is an important—perhaps the most important—part of a sales manager’s job.
A key part of the process of improving performance is evaluating a seller’s performance. Tracking and evaluating important metrics will serve as a source of celebration as well as a way to add focus for future training and skill development.
Please note, this type of review and evaluation should not be confused with the typical annual review required by HR departments. HR reviews serve some purpose, but rarely serve as the catalyst for improving sales performance.
